Contactless card payments are now accepted on the London Underground

Until now if you wanted to travel on the London Underground, Overground, or DLR networks, you either had to have an Oyster Card, or you had to queue up and buy a ticket every time you wanted to travel. But as of today you can get through the barriers with a contactless credit or debit card, contactless wristbands, stickers, and (eventually) NFC enabled phones.

The fares are set at the adult pay-as-you-go rate, so it actually makes more financial sense for most people to use an Oyster Card anyway. If that hasn’t put you off, the system works by scanning your card every time you go through the barrier and deducting all of your fares at the end of the day. That way you don’t have the annoyance of seeing dozens of minor transactions showing up on your bank statement.

Be warned, though, because the barriers can’t actually tell the difference between an Oyster Card and a contactless credit/debit card, so if you don’t want them to get mixed up you should keep them separate when going through the barriers.

While this won’t have any effect on a large number of Londoners, it is great news that London’s transport system can be travelled on without having to constantly queue up for a ticket if you decide that an Oyster Card isn’t for you. If you would like to know more, Transport for London has posted a list of FAQs and compatible contactless cards on its website.